Bittersweet Symphony
by fembuck
Summary: Bo hasn't forgiven Lauren, but she can't stay away. Post 1x08 "Vexed".  Femslash, Bo/Lauren
1. Bittersweet Symphony

**Title:** Bittersweet Symphony

**Author:** Janine

**Fandom:** Lost Girl

**Pairing:** Bo/Lauren

**Rating:** R

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.

**Summary:** Bo hasn't forgiven Lauren, but she can't stay away.

The first time Bo showed up on her doorstep, soaked to the bone from the pounding rain she had travel through to get there, Lauren had been surprised and more than a little alarmed. As Bo leaned against the doorframe, illuminated by nothing but the dim light flickering above Lauren's door she looked predatory and dangerous in a way that Lauren had never seen before. It unnerved Lauren, and she was silent for a long moment, simply observing Bo before her lips finally parted to questioningly breathe out Bo's name. "I've been thinking about you," was Bo's response to Lauren's whispered word, and then before Lauren could fully process what Bo had said, the succubus darted towards her and suddenly they were kissing as Bo led them inside of the house and closed the door.

The first time they had made love, it had been slow, achingly tender, and intimate. Lauren had felt cherished, and despite the danger that Bo's succubus nature possessed, she had felt safe in Bo's arms. She had felt protected and treasured. Tears of pleasure had leaked from her eyes the first time Bo's fingers and lips brought her to climax, and as Bo's lips pressed against her cheeks, kissing away the tears that dotted them as Lauren trembled beneath her, Lauren's heart had swelled with love.

There was nothing slow, or tender about the way Bo kissed her and touched her on that rainy night, however. Bo's kisses were hard and frantic, and her hands rough and demanding as they took possession of Lauren's body. Lauren had lost most of her clothes and was being pressed against the cushions of her couch before she was fully able to comprehend what was happening. And then Bo's hand was between her legs, and Lauren was arching and moaning, bucking into Bo's hand as the brunette's teeth nipped at her skin. Her hands clutched at Bo, but once where there had been soft, warm, sweet-smelling skin, Lauren's fingers found nothing but cold, rough leather.

Their first night together, Lauren had come to sound of Bo telling her she was beautiful, but on her couch as Bo's fingers worked mercilessly between her legs, all that Lauren heard as she crashed over the edge was the sound of Bo's harsh breath in her ear.

There were no lingering kisses as Lauren caught her breath like there had been before. Bo did not cover Lauren's body with her own, holding her warm and secure as the trembling in Lauren's body slowly ceased. Bo did not smile and kiss her softly, or murmur, "I could watch you come undone like that forever," against Lauren's waiting lips. As rain pattered angrily against the roof and windows, Bo wordlessly withdrew her fingers from inside of Lauren, wiped the damp digits on her dark pants and rose to her feet by the side of the couch.

Bo stared down at her silently for a few moments, her lips curved down in a slight frown as her preternaturally dark eyes studied Lauren impassively. The empty look in Bo's eyes broke something inside of Lauren, and despite the fact that she was still shaking faintly, Lauren reached out for Bo, her lips parting to try and explain what had happened that night a week ago, only to have her arm fall uselessly when Bo stepped back, out of the range of her arm.

"I have to go," Bo murmured, angling her head to the side so that she didn't have to look at Lauren as she spoke.

"Bo," Lauren choked out, blinking rapidly as tears that had nothing to do with pleasure began to well in her eyes. "Please listen to me. What happened that night, it's not what you think. I wasn't ..."

Bo had started to back away, moving towards the door when Lauren began to speak, and as the desperate words tumbled from Lauren's lips Bo moved faster and faster until she finally disappeared from Lauren's line of sight. The sudden loss of Bo startled Lauren for a moment, but then she was on her feet, moving in the direction Bo had gone. However, before she could make it out of the living room she heard the front door close, and by the time she made it out onto her porch, Bo had disappeared into the night.

The next time Bo showed up on her doorstep in the dark of night, Lauren managed to steer them upstairs towards her bedroom before Bo advanced on her with shining blue eyes, picked her up, dropped her on the mattress, stripped her down and had her way with her.

As they had been the last time, Bo's hands and lips were demanding, and her touch was purposeful. She did not linger, simply enjoying the feel of her lover's body against her own as she had the first time they made love. Bo marched forward determinedly until Lauren was arching beneath her, coming with Bo's name on her lips. This time however, as Lauren's orgasm subsided, Bo continued to stroke her, almost gently, until Lauren went limp beneath her, and when Bo finally withdrew from within Lauren, she did it carefully before she slid off of the bed onto her feet.

Unfortunately, though Lauren had managed to get them up to her room, she hadn't been any more successful at undressing Bo than she had been the last time, so with one last look at Lauren's prone form Bo had been able to turn and walk out of the room before Lauren's body had calmed down enough for her to move after the succubus.

The third time Bo showed up at her door with that wild, desperate, punishing look in her eyes, Lauren managed to get Bo out of enough of her clothes that she could at least feel the succubus' skin against her own as Bo mounted her and took Lauren's pleasure as easily as she could have leaned down and taken her life.

It was on that night, for the first time since Bo's night-time visits had begun, that the succubus spoke to Lauren as they touched. As Bo moved inside of her, the damp press of Bo's panties on her nude thigh driving Lauren faster and faster towards completion, Bo commented on the reactions of Lauren's body to her touch, as if she were surprised that Lauren had the audacity to enjoy her touch after what Lauren had done to her. As Lauren's body arched and strained, Bo asked if she liked what she was giving her, if she wanted more, if she needed more, even though the response of Lauren's body to her touch was unmistakable.

Bo's hips moved against Lauren's thigh more anxiously as the doctor approached climax, and just as Lauren began to crest, Bo clutched at her – and in a voice that sounded more broken than angry – she whispered, "I don't even know why I'm here." The sound of Bo's voice sent Lauren over the edge, and as she came Bo continued to buck against her until she too was trembling in the throes of orgasm.

Her climax made it take a little longer for Bo to slide from the bed, but, as she had done all of the other times, Bo slipped off of Lauren's bed, quickly pulled on what clothes the blonde had managed to remove and headed out of the room without a word.

It took two more visits before Lauren was finally able to able to get Bo beneath her and touch her with her lips and hands.

On that fifth night, after getting Lauren off, Bo had attempted to leave as usual, but Lauren had reached out for her, capturing her wrist – much like she had done that first evening they were together – and Bo had stopped and looked down at her long enough for Lauren to slip off of the bed and onto her knees before the brunette. Rebellion flashed in Bo's eyes as Lauren reached to take hold of her hips, but desire made her slow and once Lauren's mouth was on her, Bo didn't have the willpower to pull away from her. Instead, Bo's hand migrated to Lauren's head and her fingers tangled in her hair, holding Lauren's mouth against her as her hips arched forward, taking her pleasure instead of allowing Lauren to give it.

Bo was unsteady after orgasm tore through her and was forced to take a seat on the edge of Lauren's bed. When she did her fingers remained in Lauren's hair, but instead of grasping and holding her as she had been before, Bo's fingers trailed through the blonde strands almost affectionately. And, when Lauren gently kissed her thighs and hips, her stomach and her breasts before slowly bringing her lips to Bo's, the succubus allowed every touch. The gentle, almost peaceful post-coital haze surrounding them didn't last for long however, and after a minute of soft touches, Bo gently disengaged herself from Lauren and gathered up her clothes before hurrying out of the room with a quick, "I'll see you."

On the eighth night Bo's brooding figure showed up on Lauren's porch, Lauren found herself trailing her fingers lightly up Bo's naked thigh, following the path of her fingers with her lips as Bo's stomach rose and fell deeply as she sought to regain her breath after the orgasm Lauren had just brought her too. This was the third time in a row that Bo hadn't rushed off as soon as her legs could support her, and Lauren was determined to make the most of Bo's continued presence in her bed.

"Come here," Bo murmured softly, reaching down to run her fingers gently over Lauren's cheek as the blonde's lips traced her hipbone.

Lauren obeyed the softly spoken request and flowed up until her face was hovering above Bo's. She met the brunette eyes, and when Bo didn't look away from her she decided to test the waters and lowered her head until their lips brushed against each other. Bo had allowed Lauren to kiss her the last few times they were together, but the brunette's participation in the kisses had been minimal. This time however, Bo brought her hand around to the back of Lauren's neck keeping her in place, and when Lauren's tongue teased her lips, Bo opened for her and returned the kiss.

"Explain to me what happened," Bo said when Lauren pulled away from her.

Her voice was tight with emotion as she spoke, but her fingers were gentle as the stroked Lauren's cheeks, wiping away damp tracks of tears Lauren hadn't even been aware she had shed while they kissed.

"I never meant to hurt you," Lauren whispered, reaching up to grasp Bo's hand with her own, holding it tightly for a moment before she pressed her lips to it reverentially.

"I know," Bo sighed wearily, as if it took quite a bit out of her to admit that she knew Lauren hadn't acted out of malice. "But you did hurt me. I need to understand why. I need you to explain to me what happened."

She wasn't sure that getting involved with Lauren again was a good idea, but her heart wasn't giving her a choice in the matter. She had tried and failed to stay away from the blonde for the last month. Despite all of the promises she made to herself, no matter how much she swore she was done with the doctor, Bo had found herself on Lauren's doorstep again and again, aching for the blonde and hating herself for it. Whether it was a good idea or not, Bo was drawn to Lauren, and given the behaviour that Lauren had put up with from her over the past month, Bo couldn't help but believe that Lauren was genuinely drawn to her too. But before they could take another step towards truly reconciling, Bo needed to understand why Lauren had betrayed her trust the way she had the first night they made love.

Lauren released Bo's hand and stretched out beside the brunette on the mattress. She felt exposed lying naked on top of the sheets, but Bo made no effort to cover herself so neither did Lauren.

It took her a moment to compose her thoughts. She could feel the tension in Bo's body but she didn't let herself rush. She had panicked when Bo accused of her using her that first night. She had spoken without thinking and her words had only made the situation worse. She wouldn't make the same mistake this time.

"I was scared Bo," Lauren began looking over at Bo even though it was difficult for her to maintain eye contact while talking about her feelings.

"Of the Ash?" Bo inquired, dropping her eyes down to the pendant pressed against Lauren's breastbone.

"No," Lauren breathed out, shaking her head. "I was scared for you. You're so strong," Lauren said blinking against the tears forming in her eyes. "You're so brave, but you're not invincible, Bo. The Ash and the Morrigan have agreed to leave you be for the moment, but if either of them decide that you are no longer neutral territory, you'll have species of Fae you've never even dreamed of hunting you down. I've seen people marked for death before. They never last long. If you had gone after the Mesmer, if you had ..." Lauren paused and closed her, breathing in deeply to try and control the panic rising within her as she remembered the danger that Bo had been in.

"I didn't make love to you because I was ordered to," Lauren continued opening her eyes again, forcing her voice to remain steady as she looked at Bo. "I wanted to keep you safe, and ... God, Bo, I just wanted you," she breathed out shakily. "I care about you, more than I can say. More than is safe. More than is sane probably. I never lied about my feelings for you. I see so many amazing things living among the Fae, but making love to you was the most beautiful thing experience I've had since the Ash put this around my neck," she continued, lifting her hand to finger the intricately moulded pendant that rested heavily against her skin. "I'm so sorry, Bo. I never meant to hurt you. I just ..." Lauren sighed. "I didn't want anything to happen to you. I didn't want to lose you."

Bo looked away from Lauren when the doctor finished speaking and rolled onto her back to stare up at Lauren's ceiling. She was only silent for a minute, but in Lauren's anxious state it felt like an inordinately long amount of time. Finally, just as Lauren was beginning to feel the urge to squirm, Bo sighed deeply and turned onto her side again so that she was facing Lauren.

"I believe that you did what you thought was right," Bo said slowly. "But it's not up to you to police my life," she continued holding Lauren's eyes fiercely. "For months now I've had a bunch of stranger bitches on my ass trying to tell me what to do and how to live my life, putting up roadblocks before me every time I try to carve out my own path. I spend half my life looking over my shoulder. I need to be able to trust the people that are close to me," Bo continued, exhaling tiredly.

"I've always done everything in my power to help you," Lauren proclaimed, not quite able to hide the hurt she felt at Bo suggesting otherwise.

"And if the Ash ordered you to do something that would hurt me?" Bo asked pointedly.

"I may wear this chain, but I'm not a mindless slave," Lauren responded hotly, her hazel eyes flashing with indignance as she met Bo's gaze. "I've already risked everything to help you," Lauren continued, "I'm not going to sell you out Bo. Property of the Ash or not, I have to live with myself and I couldn't do that if I knowingly hurt you. I'm not your enemy."

Bo studied Lauren silently for a minute, scanning her expression for signs of deceit and finding nothing.

Bo reached out for the blonde and brushed her thumb tenderly across her pale cheek.

"You'd disobey him? You'd do that for me?" Bo asked in a soft, tentatively hopeful voice.

"I went up against a Basilisk for you. I'd say there's very little I wouldn't be willing to do for you," Lauren responded, allowing her lips to curve up into a shy smile when Bo smiled at her.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds and then Bo closed the distance between them, bringing their lips together in a sweet kiss the likes of which they hadn't shared since their first time together. Lauren moaned into Bo's mouth and her body melted against the brunette's as the tension and worry she had been carrying around since she was left clutching her necklace and Bo's sheet to her body in the succubus' empty room finally died away.

"Stay," Lauren breathed out as they pulled away from each other long moments later. "Stay with me tonight," she continued, even though she was aware that she might have been asking too much from Bo too soon, but unable to help herself. "I'll cook. We can watch a movie," the blonde whispered stroking Bo's cheek. "It'll be like we're normal people."

"You cook?" Bo asked curiously as a smile touched her lips, finding the idea of Lauren puttering around a kitchen ridiculously endearing.

Lauren smiled and nodded, unconsciously leaning closer to Bo in the face of the succubus' positive response to her previous words.

"Not only do I cook, but I'm pretty good at it."

Bo hummed thoughtfully in response to Lauren's words.

"Is there anything you're not good at?" she asked playfully a moment later.

"Soccer," Lauren responded without hesitation which made Bo smile. "I tend to fall when I try to kick things."

Bo laughed softly at that, her eyes crinkling at the sides with amusement. Her expression soon sobered however, and she ended up gazing at Lauren pensively for a few moments. Then, hesitantly, as if she wasn't quite sure that it was a good idea, Bo leaned forward and laid a gentle kiss on Lauren's lips.

"I'd like to stay," she said earnestly, holding Lauren's eyes when she pulled back. "I'd like to see you in an apron," she added a second later, smiling as she raked her eyes over Lauren's body in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"When you smile like that it makes me think you want to see me in nothing _but_ an apron," Lauren murmured, blushing lightly at the thought though she did not seem displeased by the idea.

Bo's smile widened until her expression could be characterized as exuberant and Lauren couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat and past her lips even as she reached out and slapped Bo lightly on the arm.

"Fine, fine," Bo relented, smiling as Lauren's hand began to gently stroke her arm. "You don't need to wear the apron either."

Lauren's lips curved up at that.

"Cheeky," the blonde breathed out sounding completely and utterly charmed.

It took them nearly ten minutes to actually get out of Lauren's bed and into some clothes, but when Bo walked out of Lauren's bedroom, for the first time since she had started showing up on the blonde's doorstep, it was with Lauren's hand firmly ensconced in her own and a smile on her lips.

The End


	2. Conversations about the Complicated

**Title:** Conversations about the Complicated

**Author:** Janine

**Fandom:** Lost Girl

**Pairing:** Bo/Lauren

**Rating:** R

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.

**Summary:** Bo and Lauren have reconciled with each other, but that doesn't mean that everything is smooth sailing.

**Note: ** This follows in the same timeline as _Bittersweet Symphony_, which is to say that Bo and Lauren have reconciled with each other after the events in 1x08 _Vexed _and are currently lovers.

**Part I**

Jazz played unobtrusively in the background of the living room as Lauren leaned over her coffee table and carefully filled the wine glasses resting on it with merlot. As she poured she could feel Bo's eyes on her, studying her every move and forced herself not to react to the scrutiny. Bo's eyes hadn't left her since she had first moved over to the wine rack to retrieve the bottle that was presently in her hand, and the gaze was beginning to weigh on her. The truth was that Bo liked to look at her, and Lauren couldn't deny that it usually gave her a thrill to be gazed at so appreciatively, but there was something different about Bo's gaze at that moment. Bo wasn't just watching Lauren then, she was contemplating her.

"What is it?" the blonde asked without looking up, feigning nonchalance.

"Nothing," Bo murmured distractedly, her eyes focused on the pendant hanging between Lauren's breasts, watching as it glittered mockingly in the candlelight illuminating the room.

"It's something," Lauren responded softly, aware of the fact that Bo's attention was trained on the pendant that marked her as the Ash's property. "You can ask me anything," she added calmly a second later as she turned to the side to place the wine bottle down on the table.

Bo's eyes drifted up from Lauren's chest at that, and she tilted her head to the side, observing the blonde thoughtfully for a moment, trying to decide to if she really wanted to have this conversation. Things had been good between them for the past couple of weeks. They had begun to talk again, and when Lauren looked into her eyes the affection in the blonde's gaze once again outweighed the weariness in them. They were slowly getting back to something that approached what they had been before the disastrous night they had first made love. That was something that Bo desperately wanted, but she couldn't ignore the fact that there _was_ still a distance between them. She had trusted Lauren in a way that she hadn't trusted anybody else, not even Kenzi. She had shared her deepest concerns, the secret longings in her heart with Lauren, yet despite the fact that they had reconciled, Bo was hesitant to open herself up so completely to Lauren again. There were still questions that Bo needed answers to in order to gain back the old trust she had in Lauren, and until she got answers to those questions she knew that the distance between herself and Lauren would remain.

"Sit?" Bo requested gently, deciding that the reward renewed closeness was worth the risk of asking.

Lauren breathed in deeply at the request and blinked a few times, steeling herself to embark upon what was likely to be an uncomfortable conversation, then she moved toward the couch. However, before she could sit down, Bo placed her hand on Lauren's hip and directed the blonde onto her lap – which despite her anxiousness, made Lauren smile. As Lauren settled on Bo's lap, the succubus leaned in and kissed her neck tenderly, trailing her lips over Lauren' skin while her hands moved up and down on Lauren's thighs soothingly until the doctor sighed softly and relaxed into Bo's embrace.

"What does it mean?" Bo's fingers drifted towards the pendant resting between Lauren's breasts as she spoke and she trailed her finger along the curved edge.

"You know what it means," Lauren whispered, lifting her hand to touch Bo's so that she could draw it away from the pendant. "It may not be seared into my flesh, but the pendant is a brand. It marks me as his property."

Bo could hear the apprehension in Lauren's voice and could feel the blonde tensing up in her lap, but she knew she had to push on. She needed to ask these questions and she needed to hear Lauren's responses to them in order for them to truly be able to move forward and gain back the intimacy that had existed between them before. Having Lauren in her arms again was wonderful, being able to put her lips on the blonde and trail her fingers over her body was amazing, but more than anything what Bo wanted to get back was that feeling of closeness, and safety, and love she had felt when she was with Lauren before. She wanted to be able to stare deeply into Lauren's eyes again without wondering what the blonde was hiding. She wanted to talk to Lauren without wondering what things the blonde was choosing not to say.

"But what does that mean exactly?" Bo asked, resting her chin on Lauren's shoulder as she flexed her arms around the blonde, holding her more firmly. "What does it mean for your life? How far into you do his hooks dig?"

Lauren sucked in a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably on Bo's lap. Bo knew that she was feeling distressed and probably wanted to put some distance between them, but she kept her arms secured around Lauren's body. She needed to feel Lauren in her arms. She needed to feel the connection between them to keep calm, to keep from giving into the hurt that threatened to overwhelm her when she thought about that night.

"That's," Lauren exhaled heavily, "that's a bit complicated to answer," she continued sighing. "Technically there are no boundaries, no limits to his control until my contract has been fulfilled. In actuality, he's never put much pressure on me. I'm his chief medical officer, and since I've been ... well, _his_, medical decisions are all I've been involved with. Who I sleep with, my hobbies, how I vote, anything to do with my personal life really, has been of no concern to him before."

Bo took a moment to process Lauren's words, biting on her bottom lip pensively.

"If you're not involved in the ... political side of the business, then why did the Ash send you to me that night?"

"He found out that I was helping you learn how to control your powers," Lauren sighed tiredly. "Someone at the lab must have told him," she explained, leaving out the fact that the Ash must have put the fear of the Blood King in them in order for one of her friends to have betrayed her confidence. "Once he knew that we had a personal relationship I became something that he could use."

Bo's jaw clenched and her lips pursed as Lauren spoke, her body tensing with hurt, and frustration, and irritation. Lauren noted the change in Bo's expression, and being pressed so intimately against the brunette she was able to feel the stiffening of Bo's body. She stopped speaking for a moment, and reached out so that she could take Bo's hand into her own, hoping to comfort Bo and keep her calm until she was able to finish her answer.

"The Ash's decision to try and save Lou Anne was political. He has a strong interest in you, and he didn't want you getting yourself killed trying to save her. He wanted me to act for his benefit, but I came to you because I was scared for you, because I wanted to protect you, not because it was what he wanted. If the Ash has a heart at all, it's never in the right place, but just because his order was self-servicing it didn't mean that it had no merit. Swords and cross-bows are no defence against a Mesmer, Bo. You would have died, and I couldn't ... I couldn't just watch you walk away. I couldn't," Lauren finished roughly, blinking rapidly to contain the tears that had begun to sting her eyes.

Bo's pride was wounded by Lauren's lack of faith in her ability to handle the Mesmer, but as Trick and Dyson had both also shared Lauren's fear, Bo couldn't be completely offended by it. The truth was that Bo hadn't been thinking logically at the time. She hadn't truly considered the risks associated with going after the Mesmer. Her desire to learn about her past had outweighed her instinct for self-preservation. Trick had remained worried for her even after giving her his powerful Fae-killing unicorn blade, but his worry hadn't registered with her in any meaningful way. It was only in retrospect that Bo could acknowledge that she'd had no idea what she was getting herself into, and despite the fact that it wounded her feelings a bit, she was able to recognize that Lauren was probably right to have been so concerned about her.

"You're thinking again," Lauren said stroking the back of Bo's hand with her thumb as the seconds wore on without Bo responding to her.

Before things had gone wrong between them, she'd loved to study Bo's face in the moments when Bo lapsed into deep thought. Seriousness transformed Bo into a romantically brooding figure that would have seemed perfectly at home in the shifting shadows of an English castle, and Lauren had watched her, utterly captivated. Since That Night however, when Bo's expression became thoughtfully brooding it had only led to arguments, harsh words and hurtful actions, and Lauren was not anxious to experience that again now that things had calmed between them.

"Don't sound so surprised," Bo complained lightly, "I may be a succubus but I'm not entirely Id-driven. I think," Bo muttered. "I read," she added a bit morosely as she remembered Dyson telling her to read a book the week before.

"I didn't mean to insinuate that you're an airhead," Lauren murmured before gently taking Bo's face into her hands. "I just wanted to know what you were thinking about."

Bo was mollified by Lauren's response to her, and when the blonde leaned in to kiss her, Bo met her lips eagerly.

"You don't actually want me to give you a penny, do you?" Lauren asked breathily when she pulled back, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she gazed down at Bo.

Bo's lips curved up into a smile at that, but a few seconds later her eyes turned serious again.

"What happens to you if you disobey him?"

Lauren shivered and cut her eyes away from Bo's, not wanting Bo to see how much the answer to that question terrified her.

"Pain," Lauren breathed out as casually as she could. "Death," she continued, "In that order."

"He would kill you?" Bo asked, still struggling on occasion to remember that the Light Fae were just as ruthless as their Dark Fae counterparts, despite their fluffy, 'sugar and spice and everything nice' sounding name.

"He could," Lauren responded still looking away. "Though it's likely to sound a touch conceited, I'm a valuable asset to him. He wouldn't kill me for a minor infraction, but he could and would hurt me. If my transgression was a serious one however, he would kill me without a second thought."

"Even though you're an asset?"

"Asset or not, I'm a replaceable resource," Lauren sighed, closing her eyes. "Finding someone to take over my position would inconvenience the Ash, and he usually tries to avoid being inconvenienced. But the trouble he would have to go through to fill my position only protects me so much. If he views me as a threat, he'll make the time to interview for replacements."

Bo was quiet for a second, then exhaled angrily and unconsciously tightened her hold on Lauren. It galled her that Lauren's life rested in the hands of some stranger asshole with the voice of a CGI dragon. No person, Fae or otherwise, should have had it within their power to own another sentient being. How any civilized people could view that as acceptable in this day and age was beyond her. The whole thing was wrong. It was sick. It pissed Bo off beyond belief.

"This whole situation pisses me off," Bo declared irascibly. "I am so sick of the Fae and their endless shit."

"I know," Lauren sighed, brushing some dark strands of hair behind Bo's ears before she leaned down and kissed the succubus.

"I won't accept it, Lauren," Bo said a touch breathily as they parted. "Not for you and not for me. I don't know what the hell I can do about it, but I don't accept it."

Lauren smiled gently at that and then leaned forward to press her lips to Bo's forehead sweetly, touched and awed by Bo's relentless spirit.

"For a long time I have accepted it," Lauren admitted softly, hanging her head down in shame as she spoke. "I've served under him for so long that I'd almost forgotten what it was like to want something for myself when I met you. But you," she bit down on her bottom lip, chewing on it for a moment as she stared at Bo. "You reminded me. You've awoken something inside of me, something that had been asleep for years, and I can't accept it now either. I don't want to. I like ... _feeling_."

Something inside of Bo unclenched at Lauren's words, and she felt the walls she had built around her heart to protect herself over the past few weeks begin to crumble. She knew that Lauren was in a vulnerable position and that she couldn't simply walk away from the Ash and the Fae, but it was important to Bo to know that she was high on Lauren's list of priorities as well. She needed to know that Lauren was willing to fight for her, just like she was willing to fight for the blonde. The thought that Lauren would abandon her if things got too difficult had been torturing Bo since they had reconciled. She hadn't been able to let go of the thought that Lauren would choose fear over love if put in a difficult situation, but the words Lauren had just spoken and the conviction in her eyes put Bo's worries to rest, and for the first time in weeks Bo truly let hope flare up inside of her.

"You do realize that fighting 300,000 years of Fae history is likely to get us killed," Lauren breathed out as a large, pleased smile spread across Bo's lips.

Bo lifted her hand to capture Lauren's wrist and then kissed the blonde's palm tenderly.

"I don't mind the idea of dying to be free," she breathed out a moment later. "I don't mind risking everything if it means that I'll be able to choose how to live my own life ... and choose who I want to live it with," she continued holding Lauren's eyes.

Lauren blinked quickly as her lips curved up into a wide smile, her cheeks colouring with embarrassment a moment later as she realized how big her smile was.

"Neither do I," she whispered.

She knew that the surety with which she spoke would have likely surprised many who knew her, and it surprised her too. But, as she looked down at Bo's beautiful, happy face, Lauren knew without a doubt that it was true. She had already risked her life for Bo, and ill-conceived, irrational, impractical, fool-hardy and life-threatening as aligning herself with Bo promised to be, Lauren knew that she would do it again and again in a heartbeat. It was madness, the way she felt about Bo, but it was an insanity that she never wanted to be cured of.

"Just for the record," Bo said drawing Lauren out of her thoughts, "I don't plan on dying any time soon."

Lauren smiled at that, but as she ran her fingers lightly over Bo's cheeks her expression turned serious once more.

"Good," she breathed out. "I would never forgive you if you did," she whispered fiercely, staring deeply into Bo's eyes the entire time.

"It's decided then. I have to live," Bo returned softly. "You seem like you'd be scary when you're mad."

Despite the heavy emotions that had just settled over her, Lauren felt her lips curve up into a smile again at Bo's words, and she couldn't resist leaning down to bring their lips together in a slow, deep, thorough kiss that left her panting and throbbing as she squirmed where she rested on Bo's lap.

"God, Lauren," Bo moaned, burying her face in Lauren's neck, kissing and sucking and nipping on the skin she found there. "You're so responsive," Bo breathed into Lauren's skin, knowing that the blonde was already wet and needing her.

During their kiss Bo had felt the energy radiating from Lauren spike powerfully as the blonde became aroused, and the sudden onslaught of lust left Bo struggling to control the instinct to flip Lauren onto the couch and shove her face between the blonde's legs until Lauren came or she passed out.

"Fuck," Bo groaned as the ache between her legs intensified, "I want you so badly."

"Have me," Lauren immediately gasped. "It's okay," she whispered a moment later when Bo made no move to develop the contact between them. "Touch me," she encouraged, "please."

Bo moaned and took Lauren by the hips, easily lifting the blonde off of her lap, and then she lay her down on the couch. Every instinct in Bo was calling for her to immediately start ripping off Lauren's clothes until the blonde was flush and naked before her, ripe for the taking, but she breathed in and out deeply and stopped herself from acting on her baser desires. Being on the couch with Lauren like this reminded her of the first time she had shown up on Lauren's doorstep, hurt and angry, wanting make Lauren feel a fraction of the devastation that she was. The last time she'd had sex with Lauren on that couch she had done so in an attempt to make Lauren feel as cheap and used as the blonde had made her feel, and the memory of it shamed Bo.

"You never took something from me I wasn't willing to give you," Lauren said, drawing Bo's eyes over to her, knowing where Bo's mind had gone from the guilty, tormented expression on her face. "It wasn't how I dreamed of being with you again, but I did want to have your hands on me. I knew you were punishing me, but I didn't care. I wanted you with me. I missed you too," she continued, leaning up to kiss Bo softly.

"I'm still sorry," Bo said, blinking to hold back the tears suddenly stinging her eyes.

"I know," Lauren responded kindly before she sweetly brought their lips together again. "I'm not angry with you," she continued when they parted. "It's probably not very politically correct of me, but in a way, I came to like it," Lauren sighed, shifting beneath Bo as she spoke. "You were so ... raw," she breathed out, clenching her jaw against the wave of desire that tore through her at the memory of Bo's rough touches. "I love it when you're slow." Lauren's eyelashes fluttered as images from the night before flooded her mind. "I really love it," she continued, unable to stop the soft moan that escaped from her as she shifted on Bo's lap, trying to find some relief from the throbbing between her legs, "but you don't need to be gentle all the time. You ..." she paused, biting down on her bottom lip.

"What?" Bo rasped anxiously when Lauren's skin coloured and her voice trailed off. "Tell me," she added in a voice that sounded distinctly pleading. "It's okay."

"You can be rough, sometimes," Lauren breathed out in a rush. "You don't need to hold back. I'm not made of glass. You can ... pin me against walls. You can take me on the kitchen counter. You don't have to control your instincts with me. At least not those ones," she went on knowing that Bo always had to keep a tight leash on her hunger for life-energy when they were together. She would be able to survive short pulls from Bo, but if the brunette ever truly unleashed her hunger upon Lauren there was no way she'd survive. "You can ... _fuck_ _me_," Lauren whispered. "Sometimes I want you to fuck me."

White hot light exploded in Bo's brain at Lauren's words and for a moment the force of her desire literally left her speechless.

"Are you sure?" Bo finally managed to rasp.

She remembered with aching clarity how wet Lauren had been on those nights when she'd showed up unannounced and started to undo Lauren's pants before the front door had even fully closed. Lauren had always come, often multiple times, and not once had she ever tried to stop Bo from having her.

Still, Bo, more than most, was aware of the fact that sometimes how a person's body responded to touch had very little to do with what they felt in their heart. After all, for years her body had responded with orgasmic delight to feeding even though she hated herself and what she was doing with every fibre of her being.

"I'm sure," Lauren responded without a moment's hesitation. She took Bo's face into her hands and looked directly into Bo's eyes. "Take me_,_" she exhaled roughly. "I need you."

Bo groaned with want and then without a moment more delay she leaned down and captured Lauren's lips, plundering the blonde's mouth with a feverish intensity that had Lauren squirming beneath her and moaning into Bo's mouth with desire.

"I've wanted to do this since we made up," Bo moaned into Lauren's mouth as her fingers worked at Lauren's jeans, desperate to get them off of her.

"So have I," Lauren groaned, arching up into Bo's body as the succubus tugged impatiently at her jeans, inadvertently, or perhaps advertently, rubbing the thick seam against Lauren's aching center.

Bo really wanted to get Lauren's pants off so that she could see and taste the blonde's desire, but the sounds Lauren was making were driving her crazy, so when she managed to lower Lauren's fly, Bo simply shoved her hand into Lauren's jeans and slipped her fingers beneath her panties. When she did, her fingers encountered a sea of wetness, and Bo couldn't help the ecstatic moan that escaped from her at the blissful feel of Lauren's arousal drowning her fingers.

"I'm going to make you feel so good," Bo promised kissing Lauren's neck as her fingers began to work between her legs, the last of the restraints she had placed on herself slowly coming loose now that she was assured of Lauren's desire for this.

"You always do," Lauren exhaled tremulously.

Bo shivered with delight and a hot rush of desire flowed through, making her feel like her body was on fire. Her body trembled again with the force of her need and Bo knew that sensible thought would leave her soon.

"You should know," Bo warned, stilling her hand against Lauren so that the blonde would be able to concentrate on her words. "It'll be different for me this time. When we go slowly I can control my instincts. But if I let go, it's almost impossible for me to stop. Orgasm, mine or yours, becomes like oxygen. I need it. I have to keep going until I get it. It's a biological imperative."

"I understand," Lauren said locking eyes with Bo so that the brunette could see that she had heard her clearly and comprehended what she was saying. "I'm not going to try to stop you. Keep going. Please."

Bo sighed with relief and drew her thumb across Lauren's clit, drinking in the blonde's excited gasp like the fine wine they had abandoned on the coffee table. Then, as Lauren was still trembling with pleasure, Bo bent down and took possession of Lauren's lips, fully committing to the task of rocking Lauren's world like never before.

**PART II**

Lauren's fingers trailed over her quivering abdomen, sliding over sweat slicked skin until she was able to lightly thread her fingers through Bo's luscious, dark hair. Her whole body tingled and trembled and she was certain that if Bo squeezed one more orgasm out of her that her brain would overload and she'd pass out.

"Bo," she husked in a voice that was barely audible due to overuse, "I can't," she managed to get out before her tired body rebelled against the effort required to hold out her hand and her arm fell uselessly back against the mattress.

Bo was reluctant to move from between Lauren's legs. Lauren's taste was still on her tongue, and every time she swallowed or breathed in all she wanted to do was return her lips to Lauren's flesh and lose herself in Lauren again. However, when Lauren's arm flopped uselessly against the mattress, Bo knew that the blonde was well and truly exhausted and that she had to let her rest.

"Mm," Lauren sighed, automatically turning to the side and snuggling against Bo as the brunette settled in beside her. "Bo," she whispered sleepily, pressing her lips to the swell of Bo's breast as she flung her arm across the succubus' waist and draped one of her legs over Bo's thigh, settling down half on top of the brunette.

"Are you okay?" Bo asked, running her fingers lightly up and down Lauren's back, enjoying the way the blonde unconsciously pressed herself more firmly against her body as she did.

She had tried to avoid feeding on Lauren, but she hadn't been able to avoid taking some of the blonde's energy while they were together. She had managed to keep it down to short pulls, no more than a second or two at a time and she had only done it three times, but she had still fed and she was a little worried that the energy she had taken, in addition to the physical energy that Lauren had exerted, had seriously depleted the blonde.

"Mm," Lauren murmured listlessly into Bo's skin.

"Can you say a whole sentence for me?" Bo asked, keeping her voice light even though the question was serious. She knew that Lauren was tired, but she wanted to make sure that all of her faculties were functioning properly.

"Ugh," Lauren groaned unhappily, nuzzling her face against Bo's chest in a way the succubus would have found adorable if she hadn't been genuinely concerned.

"Please," Bo breathed out.

Lauren was still for a few moments, as if she had to talk herself into moving, but eventually she breathed in deeply and pushed herself up onto her hand so that she was looking down at Bo's concerned face.

"I'm fine," she said, "really," she continued, drawing her arm from over Bo's waist so that she could reach out and stroke the brunette's cheek gently.

Her touch was soft and weak, but it was steady and her voice was even, which allowed Bo to relax a little.

"You didn't drain me," Lauren went on before she leaned down and softly kissed Bo's lips. "You just tired me out," she whispered playfully against Bo's lips before she lowered herself back down onto the mattress and settled against Bo's side again.

"You're weaker than you should be," Bo said, knowing that the energy she had taken _was_ affecting Lauren, even if Lauren's energy levels weren't dangerously low.

There was a glassy quality to the blonde's eyes that she hadn't seen before. She had made love to Lauren until the blonde had to nudge her away from her sex before, but Lauren's eyes had always been alert afterward, and she was usually jittery, almost hyperactive immediately after they were done. There was usually a reserve of energy in Lauren that kept her going after they'd finished making love, but this time Bo suspected that in addition to thoroughly wearing Lauren out that she had also drained that last reserve of strength.

"I'll get you something to eat," Bo offered solicitously as Lauren lay heavily against her, already trying to remember what food she had seen in Lauren's kitchen when they had been puttering around in there earlier on. She was pretty sure that she'd seem some almonds and dark chocolate, possibly blackberries though she wasn't sure. What Lauren would need to fully recover her energy was sleep, but Bo knew that a little energy boosting snack would give her a bit a lift for a couple hours.

Lauren groaned unhappily again, not pleased by the idea of Bo's body not being against hers anymore, but she removed her arm from across Bo's waist anyway. As much as she wanted Bo to remain exactly where she was, she knew that Bo feeding from her had left her more depleted than just their love-making did, and she knew that eating something was a good idea. She hadn't planned on taking Bo to bed quite so early in the evening, and even with all of the time they had spent tangled in each other embrace, the night was still relatively young and she wanted to stay awake for a bit more of it.

"I'll be quick," Bo promised leaning down to kiss Lauren's lips before she slipped out of the bed, and headed out of the bedroom, naked as the day she was born.

xxx

After Bo returned with food to help Lauren refuel, the blonde was able to rummage up some comfy clothes for them to lounge around in, and they found themselves once again downstairs in the living room, spread out on the couch once more. An old movie played on the television and Lauren lay in Bo's arms, her head pillowed on the brunette's chest.

"You'd look good done up like that," Bo commented as a mysterious female in a veil, a bust-hugging blazer and a pencil skirt sashayed onto screen.

Lauren's lips curved up in a smile at that and she murmured, "You'd end up 'accidentally' dropping lots of pens on the floor if I was, wouldn't you?"

Bo's chest rumbled in amusement and Lauren slapped her thigh, playfully admonishingly.

"It's a compliment," Bo muttered as a naughty smile touched her lips.

"The type of compliment that's been legislated against," Lauren drawled, shifting against Bo slightly so that she could angle her head up enough to see the brunette's face. "If I'm dressing up, so are you," she continued.

"Two naughty secretaries would be fun," Bo replied thoughtfully.

"I'm almost scared to find out if you have first-hand knowledge of that," Lauren murmured.

Bo grinned impishly and then shrugged in response, and Lauren laughed softly before pushing herself up onto her arms so that she could lean down and bring their lips together.

"I wasn't really thinking about two naughty secretaries," Lauren murmured against Bo's lips a few seconds later.

"You were after I said it," Bo teased smugly, knowing that a few interesting images had to have been floating through Lauren's head.

"Mm," Lauren hummed. It was true enough. "Maybe the next time," she conceded in a tone that made it clear she would not need much convincing.

"I'm intrigued now," Bo said looking up at Lauren. "What did you have in mind for the first time?"

"You're a private investigator," Lauren drawled, drawing her finger teasing down Bo's torso. "Maybe one night you should dress like one."

"You do know that most PI's strap-on ... weapons, right?" Bo asked watching Lauren closely, relief and excitement flooding through her body when she notice Lauren's eyes widen slightly, and her tongue peak out to wet her lips after the phrase 'strap-on' fell from Bo's lips. "My costume would require some accessories," she continued, bumping her pelvis against Lauren suggestively.

"We should try to be as authentic as possible," Lauren responded in a voice that was slightly huskier than it had been a minute before.

"Why Dr. Lewis," Bo drawled, grinning feeling a wave of desire roll off of Lauren and crash over her. "I..."

Bo groaned in frustration as her phone began ringing a few meters away from where they were lying.

"Let it go to voice-mail," Lauren murmured, nuzzling her face in Bo's bosom to convey how very much she didn't want to the succubus to leave the couch.

"It's probably Kenzi," Bo said apologetically.

Lauren nodded and eased up off of Bo so that the brunette could slip out from beneath her and make her way to her jacket which was draped over the back of a nearby chair. She didn't love that snuggle time had been interrupted, but Bo's loyalty to her friends was one of the things that Lauren admired most about her, so she couldn't be upset with Bo for wanting to find out what Kenzi needed. Honestly, knowing Kenzi it was probably a good idea to jump and answer the phone since the girl had likely gotten into some life-threatening situation, arrested, or both.

Drawing the quilt that had been loosely draped over them securely around her body, Lauren watched as Bo plucked her phone from the pocket of her jacket and glanced at the screen. Her eyebrows drew together for a moment, and she hesitated for a second, but then she pushed a button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey," she answered in an affectedly casual tone which indicated to Lauren that it wasn't Kenzi on the other end of the phone. "Okay ... ... would it even be open now ... oh, well that's good ... I'm not home ... good guess ... why, do you want to talk to her ... there's no point in that ... don't ... I'm not doing this right now ... ...fine ... I will, thank you ... yeah, if you're lucky," Bo muttered irritably and then clicked off the phone.

"Dyson?" Lauren asked already knowing the answer to her question.

Bo nodded and then shoved her phone back into her jacket pocket.

"He wants my help on a case," Bo explained turning back towards Lauren as she headed back over to the couch.

"Are you leaving?" Lauren asked, trying to control the disappointment in her voice though she suspected that she mostly failed at it.

"No," Bo replied stopping by the side of the couch before bending down to lift up the edge of the quilt, motioning for Lauren to clear room for her so that she could slip in and take up her former position.

"Are you sure?" Lauren asked even though the last thing she wanted was Bo leaving her arms to spend the night with Dyson. "If you think he needs your help you can go. I'm not one of those girls," Lauren continued softly, even though in her heart she was feeling distinctly like one of those girls and was having visions of clawing at Dyson's face with her nails.

"There's nothing to be done tonight," Bo said as Lauren settled back down against her. "He was just calling to see if I could go with him in the morning. He only suggested doing some reconnaissance when I told him I wasn't home."

"Oh," Lauren murmured, not trusting herself to say more as varying emotions swirled chaotically around inside of her.

The mention of Dyson always did that to her. Bo didn't mention him much around her, but she knew that they spent a considerable about of time working together. She was uncertain whether they were still sleeping together for recreational or healing purposes, and since things between her and Bo had been rather delicate since their reconciliation she hadn't wanted to rock the boat by asking. She did wonder though, a lot.

"You're upset," Bo sighed a bit irritably a minute later.

"I'm not," Lauren responded pressing her lips to Bo's breastbone, but after she spoke her body remained tense and the silence between them became uncomfortable.

"We're just friends with occasional healing benefits. I'm not dating him," Bo said awkwardly a little while later when Lauren continued to brood. "We're not like that."

"Like what?" Lauren asked feeling the vice-like clamping on her heart lessen a little bit though she was still tense and anxious.

"Like this," Bo said, running her fingers through Lauren's hair before allowing her hand to trail gently down the blonde's back as she leaned down and brought their lips together in a light, sweet kiss.

She had shared her body with Dyson almost as soon as they met, but she had never been able to open up to him about her feelings the same way she did with Lauren. She trusted Dyson, she loved him, but it was a different sort of relationship to the one she had with Lauren. Dyson gave his body to her freely, but he had always been hesitant to share his feelings and the other parts of his life with her. There was a protective shell around his heart that she had never been able to penetrate, and after a while she had given up trying and instead simply shielded her heart as well.

It was Lauren she had given the most vulnerable part of herself to. It was Lauren that she talked to about things that were really important to her. It was Lauren she shared her thoughts, fears, and feelings with as they worked together on developing her ability to control her hunger. Her relationship with Lauren was, and always had been, intimate in a way that her relationship with Dyson had not been, and that had never been clearer to Bo than after the night she had stormed out of her house leaving Lauren behind clutching her sheets to her body.

After That Night she had sought out Dyson, hoping that his ability to heal her would work on emotional wounds as well as physical ones, but while Dyson had been able meet her body's needs, he hadn't been able to fill the empty place in her heart that Lauren had previously occupied. The pain had remained in her heart, and that aching in her chest, that longing for the intimacy that they had once had was what had eventually brought her to Lauren's doorstep weeks ago.

"I need him sometimes, but I don't ... I mean, I care about him. He's my friend. But it's not the same with him as it is with you," Bo continued struggling to express what she was feeling in words.

"It's not?" Lauren asked softly, hopefully as she looked up into Bo's face.

Bo shook her head and dropped her eyes from Lauren's as a faint blush touched her cheeks.

"No. This," Bo whispered a few seconds later as she tightened her arms around Lauren and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "is just for us," she continued softly. "You know I can't promise you that I'll never have sex with someone else, but I can promise that you're the only one I want to snuggle with."

"Yeah?" Lauren asked smiling as Bo finally brought her eyes back to Lauren's face.

"Yeah," Bo whispered, unable to help the small smile that touched her lips as Lauren grinned at her.

Lauren's hand drifted up to Bo's cheek and she ran her fingers over the soft skin affectionately for a moment before she shimmied up Bo's body so that they were nose to nose, then she leaned forward and brought their lips together.

She would have liked it if she could have been everything that Bo needed, but that wasn't the case and she accepted that. Bo could not get the energy that she needed to heal from serious injuries from her, and there was no question about Bo waiting for time to heal her. Lauren was also aware that as a human, she didn't recover from feeding quickly enough for Bo to get the energy she needed on a long term basis to live from her either, which meant that Bo would have to continue seducing and feeding off of others to stay healthy.

It was difficult for Lauren knowing this. It was hard for her, understanding that Bo's nature would never allow for Bo to be Lauren's and only Lauren's the way that Lauren was Bo's and only Bo's – even if she hadn't told the brunette that yet. But, as Bo nuzzled her face into Lauren's neck and tightened her arms around Lauren, as if the loss of her might actually kill Bo, Lauren knew that this was enough. For a succubus what Bo had just promised, what she wanted for them, was a major commitment.

"I have no idea what's happening in this movie," Bo breathed out into the warm nook of Lauren's neck before her lips began to trail kisses across the soft, salty flesh once more.

"Me either," Lauren said laughing lightly, her hand automatically lifting so that she could tangle her fingers in Bo's dark hair, encouraging the succubus to keep her talented mouth doing exactly what it was doing.

"Do you want to rewind it?" Bo asked though it was clear from her tone that she didn't give a shit about the movie.

"No," Lauren murmured as Bo's hands began to trail over her upper thighs and hip.

She didn't give a shit about the movie either.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Bo asked hopefully, pulling back from Lauren's skin enough that she could see the doctor's face. "We'll go slowly this time," she promised, knowing that she couldn't risk feeding off of Lauren any more that night.

"Okay," Lauren breathed out smiling, a rush of desire traveling through her when Bo's expression turned from being hopeful and inquisitive to hungry and eager.

Lauren suspected that she wasn't going to be able to get out of bed until at least noon the next day, but as Bo gallantly scooped her up into her arms and began to make her way towards the stairs, Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo's neck and relaxed into her against her, perfectly content with the idea of wasting half the day away in bed with Bo.

The End

**Comments are always welcome and very much appreciated. Feedback sustains starving femslashers, especially when canon is being so mean ;)**


	3. Succubus Blues

**Title:** Succubus Blues  
**Author:** Janine  
**Fandom:** Lost Girl  
**Pairing:** Bo/Lauren  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.  
**Summary:** Bo is overjoyed to finally have met another succubus, but her fascination with Saskia leads to some expected problems.

**Note: **This follows in the same timeline as _Bittersweet Symphony _and_ Conversations about the Complicated_.

**Part I**

The music in the club thumped hypnotically in the background as alcohol laden, sweat covered, horny bodies gyrated nearby. Normally, in an atmosphere like that Bo's attention would have been focused on the people, the prey, around her, but on this particular night Bo's mind was swirling and energy thrummed through her for an entirely different reason.

Saskia sat across from her on a plush couch situated just beyond the robes separating the dance floor from the lounge. She rested against the back of the couch easily, her legs drawn up on the cushion, looking so effortlessly sexy that Bo might have been jealous if she hadn't been so impressed. Enticing people had never been a problem for her. She was attractive and as a succubus she unconsciously radiated a sexual energy that drew people to her, but she still had to try when she wanted to appear alluring. 'Try' didn't seem to be part of Saskia's vocabulary.

"If you have a favourite pet," Saskia was saying as Bo dragged her eyes up the length of the other woman's body so that she was looking at her face again, "and we all have our favourites," she continued smirking in a way that made it impossible for Bo not to return the grin, "you need to make sure that you mark them."

"Mark them?" Bo asked, arching a dubious eyebrow. "How?"

"Not what you're thinking," Saskia responded laughing airily. "The lycanthropes may be into that, but we have a much more sophisticated way of letting others know what's ours," Saskia declared haughtily.

"Okay, I'll ask again. How?" Bo inquired even though she wasn't sure that she was quite comfortable with the idea of 'marking' Lauren. There was already too much of that going around in Lauren's life and she didn't want to become part of the problem.

"Succubae read energy," Saskia began throwing her legs over the edge of the couch so that she was free to lean closer to Bo. "Right now, you only know how to pull energy from others, but it's also possible to release it. That's how we mark our claims."

"We ... breathe on people?" Bo asked in an effort to clarify since that didn't seem particularly sophisticated to her.

"We shower them in the essence of our being," Saskia replied loftily, tilting her chin up so that she was looking down her nose at Bo.

"A football player offered to do that to me at a frat party once," Bo responded smirking. "I not so politely declined."

Saskia laughed at that and leaned back against the couch, observing Bo as her laughter slowly tapered off.

"It really is good for your skin," she commented lightly, her lips twisting up into a smile once again at the expression that came onto Bo's face. "You've been living around humans for too long," Saskia commented a little sadly a second later. "Succubae should not feel shame in that which gives us, and others, pleasure."

"A frat boy bukkake would **not** have given me pleasure," Bo muttered glowering a little though she was able to recognize some truth in Saskia's words.

When she had first discovered that she could have sex with Fae without killing them, she had indulged the instincts that she had been forced to deny in the years that followed her first disastrous sexual encounter. Dyson had been her drug of choice at the time, but she had found others, and had explored and experimented with them for hours, often until she collapsed into a blissfully fucked out state of semi-consciousness. In the morning however, she had always been greeted by Kenzi's increasingly wide and incredulous eyes, and though she knew her friend didn't mean to look disapproving and grossed out, she did, and Bo had curbed her night-time activities in an attempt to be slightly more socially acceptable.

"You don't know that," Saskia said pointedly, but then she leaned forward and reached for her drink seemingly willing to drop the conversation thread which Bo was grateful for.

"Can anyone besides other Succubae tell when we've marked someone?" Bo asked, intrigued with certain aspects of the concept despite herself.

She didn't like the way the Fae world operated, but as she spent more time steeped in their world, she was beginning to understand that not liking it didn't change what was. The fact was that Lauren was vulnerable to other succubae, and having seen how unscrupulous both the Light and Dark Fae were, Bo worried about how easy it would be for one of her kind to take advantage of Lauren. She didn't like the idea of putting a claim on Lauren, but if Lauren agreed to it and she was able to learn how to do it, leaving her signature on Lauren would at least offer her a measure of protection from others of her kind. Even so, Bo had to take into consideration the fact that Lauren already wore the Ash's mark, and therefore she needed to be quite certain that marking Lauren with her essence wouldn't put her in danger before she even broached the subject with the blonde.

"No," Saskia responded. "The residual traces of Succubus energy that remain on someone after we've marked them are only visible to us. Why?" she asked suddenly focusing her full attention on Bo, studying her closely. "Do you have a favourite?" she continued grinning.

Bo shrugged nonchalantly but knew that her skin had coloured slightly giving some of her feelings away.

"Possibly," Bo admitted as Saskia continued to study her. "But due to certain ... uh, circumstances she might not want to."

"Want to?" Saskia repeated slowly, feeling the words out as she spoke them as if she had never heard the words before. "You were going to ask ... permission?" she continued sounding both amused and befuddled by the idea.

"Well, yeah," Bo responded scrunching her eyebrows together as Saskia began to laugh again, not certain that she liked how amusing Saskia found the idea of her seeking Lauren's consent. "Of course. Just breathing my energy all over someone without asking would be rude."

Saskia shook her head slowly. "You are a strange succubus," she sighed. "You probably want to get married," she continued laughing again, though the laughter died quickly when Bo looked away from her uncomfortably. "Bo," Saskia began seriously, but before she could get any more out, Bo's iPhone began to vibrate where it rested on the table in front of the couch.

Bo looked at the phone. She had ignored it the other times it had gone off, not wanting to put Saskia off by making it seem like the other woman had less than her full attention. She enjoyed hearing the elaborate histories that Kenzi came up with for cab drivers after getting a look at their ID badges, but this time she was going to have to wait until she got home to hear the story. She couldn't risk alienating Saskia.

"You should get it," Saskia said noticing Bo's look, just like she had noticed Bo look over the other times the phone had vibrated, and like she had noticed the tortured look on her face when she'd turned away without picking it up. "Your sulky friend may have an emergency."

"We're talking," Bo said looking over at Saskia again, "I don't want to just ..."

"Go ahead," Saskia said waving her hand dismissively. "I have wine to distract me."

"Okay. Sorry," Bo said apologetically before reaching forward to pick it up.

[FYI, Dr. Hot Pants is NOT Dr. Happy Pants. Call her ASAP & handle ur shit, or u'll b riding the 'party of 1' train 2 Pleasure Junction 4 the next 'long ass period of time'. K]

"Bad news?" Saskia inquired, watching as Bo's eyebrows scrunched up and her lips pressed together into a thin line.

"I really, really don't want to, but I have to go," Bo said tucking the phone into her bag as the screen went dark again. She wasn't sure why Kenzi thought it was important that she immediately call Lauren, but she was willing to trust her friend's instincts. She might have been able to bend someone to her will with a touch, but Kenzi was much better at reading people's body language and vocal cues than she was. If Kenzi felt that immediate action was required then she would trust her instincts.

Saskia was silent for a moment and then her lips curved up slightly, a knowing expression coming into her eyes.

"Your bitch just called, didn't she?" Saskia asked sounding distinctly amused. Bo seemed agitated and distracted, but not upset so Saskia doubted that anything serious had happened to the short annoying one she had been with earlier. However, if Bo was jumping up and heading out after one text, it had to have been from someone important to her, which left the pet.

"Lauren's **not** my bitch," Bo grunted, shooting Saskia a disgruntled look as she rose to her feet.

"Mm," Saskia hummed, watching as Bo quickly tugged on the thin leather jacket she had abandoned wearing after about ten minutes in the club. "I think you're right about that. After all, you're the one answering the whistle."

"It's not like that," Bo said frowning, even though it was a little bit like that.

"And it shouldn't be," Saskia stated emphatically. "We're succubae, Bo. People come to us. You call your pets to you and _they_ come running. Not the other way around."

"Lauren's not just 'people' and she's certainly not my pet," Bo said, meeting Saskia's eyes for the first time since she had gotten Kenzi's text. "She's ... special to me. I care about her. I know that makes you think that I'm a moron and that it's just more evidence that I'm the worst succubus ever, but I don't give a shit. I'll never be able to adequately express to you how much meeting you means to me, and I _really do_ want to learn the things you have to teach me. But if you talk about Lauren like she's a meaningless thing not worthy of basic consideration again, I'll smack you in the mouth," Bo concluded holding Saskia's eyes for a second longer before she decisively tugged on her jacket, pulling it into place. "Are you still going to come tomorrow?" Bo asked a moment later.

"As long as it's after noon," Saskia drawled causing Bo's shoulders to sag a little in relief. "Being the Cagney to your Lacey sounds fun and all, but I need my beauty sleep," she continued lifting her hand up to touch the soft skin under her left eye, tracing non-existent circles.

"After noon, got it," Bo said smiling, relief flooding through her. She hadn't wanted to alienate Saskia, but she couldn't let the other woman's comments slide either. She was just glad that she wasn't going to have to give up learning about her heritage because of it. "And you know you're flawless."

Saskia shrugged demurely and waved her hand in Bo's direction coquettishly. "You're right of course," she murmured shamelessly.

Bo smirked at her, and then turned her head to look over her shoulder in the direction of the exit.

"Thanks for everything. Really. I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

Saskia nodded lazily and with that Bo turned and headed towards the bright red exit sign.

**Part II**

"Dude, I can so tell you're not used to having a 'special someone'," Kenzi sighed into the receiver as Bo made her way through the parking lot outside of the club.

"So she sounded mad?" Bo asked scrunching up her face at the thought as she finally located her car and began to wrestle her keys out of the ridiculously small pocket of her jacket.

"She's Lauren. I'm not sure she's capable of making mad sounds," Kenzi responded, and Bo could tell from the tone of her voice that she was making a face on the other end of the line. "But she did sound ... frownier than she usually does. Not that I can really blame her," Kenzi continued.

Having been ditched by Bo earlier that evening she was much more sympathetic to Lauren's plight and was currently sharing the blonde's sour grapes.

"But I didn't do anything," Bo complained as she slipped into the driver's seat. "Why is she frowny and why don't you blame her?"

"Dude," Kenzi replied drawing the word out as long as humanly possible. "Are you for serious with that shit?"

"What?" Bo asked starting up the engine. "Yes, I'm for serious," she added a second later when Kenzi didn't respond. "What am I missing here?"

"Bo, you're my girl and I love you, but damn! You are an **ass** sometimes," Kenzi declared, and once again Bo just knew that she was shaking her head from whatever surface she happened to be perched on.

"I'm an ass?" Bo repeated sounding confused, though a touch of indignation seemed to be working itself into her tone. "Why am I an ass? I didn't do anything. I've just been hanging with Saskia."

"Exactly!" Kenzi said triumphantly jabbing her finger into the air in front of her even though Bo couldn't see her pokey gestures of victory.

Bo sighed deeply as she finished reversing and began to drive towards the end of the parking lot.

"Please just tell me what I've done," Bo muttered not able to handle Kenzi's cryptic responses any longer.

"It's what you didn't do. As in, 'you didn't meet Lauren at that Ethiopian restaurant for your **date** because you were too busy getting your drunk on with another woman' ... you ass," Kenzi replied, adding the last two words in there because she was mad at Bo, though the rest of her scathing tone was for Lauren's benefit. She and the doc weren't bro's or anything, but the Girl Code demanded she give Bo some shit for standing a lady up, even if that lady was Lauren.

"Shit," Bo exclaimed, just barely resisting the urge to slam her head against the steering wheel.

"Indeed. That **is** what you are knee deep in," Kenzi responded sounding more amused by Bo's plight than she normally would have because of her whole being mad at Bo thing.

"How frowny did she sound?" Bo asked as she pulled a U-turn, reversing her direction from home to the direction of Lauren's place.

"Uh," Kenzi hummed. "I'd stop at a pawn shop and see if you can find some pretty jewellery. Also, unless you plan on using your succubus-fu to turn her into a Bo-sessed puddle of girly lust, you should probably prepare yourself for that Party-Of-One Train to Pleasure Junction. At least for tonight."

Bo groaned and made a mental note to keep her eyes out for pawn shops.

"Poor Bo," Kenzi sighed. "Able to look at the Hot Pants but not get in them. Send my condolences to your vag."

"Hanging up now," Bo muttered darkly.

"Uh, you meant 'thank you so much for paying more attention to my social life than I do and stopping me from being frozen out of Lauren's secret garden forever, oh whatever would I do without you Kenzi?' hanging up now before my gratitude overwhelms me, right?"

"How do you speak for such long periods of time without stopping to breathe?" Bo asked, smiling at Kenzi's rant despite the fact that Lauren was frowny, and that she was – apparently – an ass.

"The same way you can bump and grind until the ceiling collapses without breaking your punany. It's a natural gift."

"Okay, first of all, the ceiling didn't collapse, it just cracked a little. I already apologized for ruining your bowl of Capt. Crunch. And secondly, goodbye," Bo said turning off her phone before Kenzi could come up with a smartass reply to that too.

**Part III**

Hangdogs could have learned a thing or two about how to engender sympathy from the look on Bo's face when she pressed Lauren's door bell and waited with her hands behind her back for the blonde to come to the door.

"Bo, it's late," Lauren said tiredly, pulling her robe around her body to ward off the cool fall air once she pulled her front door open.

"I know," Bo said quickly, drawing her hands from around her back to present Lauren with a bouquet of flowers, a box of Pot of Gold, and a long, thin, velvet black box. "I'm sorry. I brought you things," she continued looking down at the outstretched gifts in her hands. Lauren remained silent but her eyes followed Bo's first to the flowers and then to the box of chocolates before finally resting on the thin, black box. "It's an antique," Bo volunteered smiling hopefully.

Lauren remained quiet for a moment longer, then she sighed softly and stepped back allowing Bo to move further into the house so that she could shut the front door.

"Come on," she said, turning around to face Bo again once the door was closed. "Let's go into the kitchen, we should get those in water," she continued nodding towards the flowers.

"Okay," Bo murmured, stepping to the side to let Lauren slip past her so that she could lead the way. Lauren wasn't yelling at her, which seemed like a good thing, but she wasn't sure that Kenzi's idea of bringing gifts was actually working because Lauren still looked quite frowny.

"So," Lauren said a minute later as she moved through the kitchen, opening and closing cabinet doors until she found the one she was looking for. "Kenzi finally got a hold of you."

Lauren sounded calm, but Bo could hear a little Kenzi voice at the back of her head chirping 'she's tricking you' and decided that this was the tone of voice Kenzi had heard over the phone and referred to as frowny, which meant that Bo was going to need to proceed with caution.

"Lauren," Bo said moving towards the doctor where she stood in front of the sink. "I'm so sorry," she breathed out moving in behind the blonde before tentatively wrapping her arms around her waist. "I didn't mean to forget."

Lauren released a humourless laugh and dropped her head down so that her chin was tucked against her chest.

"People rarely mean to forget, Bo," she murmured not trying to hide the hurt in her voice. "But that doesn't change the fact that I slipped your mind." Lauren moved her arm as she spoke, breaking the circle of Bo's arms so that she could turn on the tap and begin filling the vase she had pulled out.

"You didn't slip my mind," Bo said immediately, dropping her hands to Lauren's hips so that the blonde could move freely without Bo having to stop touching her entirely.

"Bo," Lauren interjected a bit irritably, because it seemed quite obvious to her that she had slipped Bo's mind since she found herself sitting alone in a restaurant for an hour waiting for her.

"I'm serious," Bo insisted. "The date slipped my mind," she admitted, wincing slightly as the words fell from her lips, "but you didn't. I was thinking about you. I'm always thinking about you," she whispered, hesitantly moving to wrap her arms around Lauren again, nuzzling her face against the blonde's neck when Lauren made no move to stop her from increasing the contact. "I know I messed up. I really am sorry," she continued before pressing a small kiss to Lauren's neck.

Lauren breathed in deeply, and then slowly exhaled, concentrating on the relaxing warmth of Bo's body around her. Bo wasn't a very good liar and Lauren could tell that she _was_ sorry. She also knew that in general Bo was a rather disorganized person. She didn't wear a watch, she didn't own a calendar, the first time she had seen Lauren's day planner she thought it was a diary, and Kenzi kept track of all of their appointments. Bo wasn't used to keeping a schedule, and having never been in an adult relationship before Lauren knew that Bo wasn't used to the demands of dating someone. Lauren reminded herself of this, and it helped her keep perspective, but it didn't erase or even really ease the hurt she felt and had been feeling all evening.

"Where were you?" she asked softly, closing her eyes as the sound of running water and the feel of Bo's eyelashes fluttering against her skin relaxed her.

"Getting schooled," Bo murmured, feeling her own body unspool slightly as Lauren leaned into her embrace.

"As far as explanations go, that was completely unhelpful," Lauren responded sounding frowny again.

"Right. Well, Kenzi and I were at this club and ..."

"You were at a club with Kenzi?" Lauren asked tensing in Bo's arms, her voice sounding as frowny as Bo had ever heard it.

"No," Bo said immediately, sensing doom. "I mean, yes. But it was for the case," Bo added quickly hoping that the fact that she was trying to right wrongs and restore justice would make Lauren somewhat more sympathetic to her. "We were interviewing possible witnesses."

"And then what happened?" Lauren asked knowing that interviewing witnesses wasn't what had detained Bo. Kenzi had been at The Dell when she had spoken to her and Bo had not been with her which meant that they had parted ways hours ago.

"There was this woman there. Saskia," Bo began, unable to keep some of the awe Saskia inspired in her out of her voice. "She's a succubus," Bo continued quickly when Lauren tensed and then shifted in her arms, trying to break the hold Bo had on her.

"A succubus?" Lauren repeated softly, curiously, no longer struggling within Bo's embrace though her posture remained rigid.

"Yeah," Bo replied, the happiness she felt at finally having found someone else like herself shining through in her voice. "And when I told her I'd never met another succubus before, she immediately told me that she'd help me. Well, actually first she was like 'Really?' but then right after that she told me that she'd help me."

"So that's where you were?" Lauren asked softly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I just ... I had so many questions, and ... and normally it's like pulling teeth to get a Fae to answer anything directly, but she just kept on telling me things," Bo responded carefully, knowing that she was still in trouble even though Lauren was no longer visibly agitated with her. "And she knows so many things, Lauren. What she can do ... it's like I'm still learning my multiplication tables and she's working for NASA. The power in her touch ..." Bo enthused.

Lauren sucked in a deep breath at that, and shifted uncomfortably in Bo's arms as her mind filled with a barrage of images of Bo and a beautiful stranger tangled together in increasingly sweaty and passionate embraces assaulted her brain.

"Lauren," Bo began cautiously, uncertain how to interpret the return of the blonde's agitation.

"The water," Lauren said blinking rapidly, trying to excise the thoughts of Bo and a woman that was not her wrapped up together from her mind. "It's overflowing. I need to ..."

Bo released Lauren from the hold she had her in and Lauren reached for the tap, trying not to make it obvious how glad she was to have a little space between them for the moment.

"Do you need some help?" Bo asked, watching as Lauren moved to tip the vase on its side to empty out some of the excess water.

"It's just a vase Bo," Lauren said smiling stiffly as she looked back at the brunette. "I may only be a human, but my muscles aren't quite that pitiful. I can manage," she continued easily tipping the vase and letting water flow from the top.

"I didn't mean it that way," Bo sighed, dropping her eyes down to the floor. "I know you're not weak. I ... just wanted to help."

Lauren's voice wasn't so frowny anymore but she was still tense and clearly troubled by something.

Lauren righted the vase so that it was standing in the sink and then placed her hands on the edge of the sink, taking a moment to compose herself because she knew that she was being unreasonable. She didn't know for a fact that anything sexual had happened with Bo and the other succubus, and even though their date slipping Bo's mind hurt her, it was understandable how meeting someone else like her could have preoccupied Bo's thoughts.

"Bo," Lauren started, her voice rough with emotion as she turned around to face the succubus.

"Do you want me to leave?" Bo asked before Lauren could say more.

"No," Lauren breathed out immediately, reaching her hand out until her fingers brushed lightly against Bo's which were hanging dejectedly at the side of her body. "I don't want you to leave," she continued, stroking Bo's thumb gently with her own until the brunette looked up and over at her. "I know I'm being mopey but I'm glad you're here," she said flashing Bo a smile that reached her eyes before she took a step towards Bo, closing the scant distance that the brunette had put between them.

"I'm sorry," Bo repeated again, feeling compelled to say it even though Lauren was acting friendlier than she had since Bo had shown up.

"I know," Lauren breathed out, leaning forward to brush her lips tenderly across Bo's.

Bo had expressed a deep longing to meet someone else like her in the past and Lauren knew that meeting this Saskia woman was a significant event for Bo. Saskia was a connection to Bo's heritage, she was a chance for Bo to learn more about who she was, and perhaps more importantly she was a way for Bo to learn more about her natural gifts and how to control them. Succubae by nature were nomadic, and one of the least populous species of Fae. Before meeting Bo, Lauren had never encountered a succubus and had only met one incubus. She and Bo had found a way to manage Bo's hunger, but Lauren knew that she didn't have the resilience or the knowledge to really help Bo discover what she was capable of. Saskia, however, did have the knowledge to teach Bo, the means to teach Bo, and most importantly the desire to stay in one place long enough to actually give Bo the guidance she needed, and that was not something that Lauren could oppose or object to. It was a rare and precious opportunity and Lauren reminded herself to concentrate on that instead of how close Bo and Saskia were likely to get in order for Bo to learn all that she needed to learn.

She was going to have to get used to sharing.

Though, from her continuing hostilities with Dyson, Lauren knew that accepting Bo's need to be polygamous was easier said than done.

"Thank you for the flowers," Lauren whispered against Bo's lips as their kiss broke, "and the chocolate. And for the ... antique," she continued smiling a little ruefully as she realized she didn't actually know what Bo had gotten her.

"You didn't even look at it," Bo whined a little though her lips curved up into a smile at the sight of Lauren's.

"I'll love it," Lauren assured her feathering another kiss across Bo's lips before stepping back from her.

"You don't know that," Bo said allowing her eyes to roam, appreciating the sight of Lauren in her robe in a way she hadn't been able to when she was worried about Lauren sounding frowny and freezing her out of her secret garden forever.

"I do know that," Lauren said moving over to the center island where Bo had rested the flowers. "I'll love it because it's from you," she continued enjoying the embarrassed blush creeping up Bo's neck as she walked past with the flowers to place them in the vase.

"What if it's the wrong kind?" Bo asked trying to pretend that she wasn't blushing like a virgin on prom night, even though Lauren had clearly seen her a moment before.

Lauren turned from the flowers she had been fiddling with and arched a curious eyebrow at Bo.

"The wrong kind?" she breathed out inquisitively.

"Now you're curious, aren't you?" Bo asked grinning, but after a moment her smile turned bashful as she realized that there was only one way to really find out if Lauren would like the gift. She watched Lauren uncertainly for a few more seconds, and then she slowly reached out for the box and picked it up, flipping it open as she moved over to where Lauren was standing.

"Well? Did I mess up again?"

"My God ... where ... no ... it's perfect," Lauren breathed out, immediately reaching a finger out to trace the handle of the antique scalpel resting in the box.

She had an old scalpel set encased in glass and mounted on the wall in the living room. She suspected that it was a morbid sort of decoration, but before becoming involved with Bo she had hardly ever entertained, and therefore decorated the house how she saw fit. Not unexpectedly, Bo had asked her about the set once they were on civil terms again, inquiring specifically about the one empty slot at the top of the column of blades, and Lauren had explained that she had bought the incomplete set years ago and had slowly been adding to it until all that was missing was the blade that fit that one spot.

"How?" she breathed out finally tearing her eyes away from the box to look up at Bo.

"Kenzi really does have a connection for everything," Bo murmured smiling timidly. She'd had to grovel for almost five minutes straight before Kenzi would even start making calls, and she was going to have to succubus drinks for herself and Kenzi at human bars for the next couple of weeks in order to pay for the gift, but it was worth it to see the look that had just been on Lauren's face. "I just ... I thought you would like it better than a tennis bracelet from a pawn shop."

Lauren's lips twitched once and then again before finally curving up into a bright smile.

"Yeah," Lauren admitted sheepishly. "I know it's a weird hobby. Thank you," she whispered again before leaning towards Bo so that she could press her lips to the brunette's cheek.

It still stung that Bo had stood her up earlier, but it meant something to her that Bo had remembered a brief conversation they'd had weeks ago, and that she had left Saskia - and all of the answers she had been so freely sharing - in order to come to her and try to make things better.

"Come on," Lauren breathed out a few seconds later, taking Bo's hand into her own and squeezing it gently. "Let's go sit down and you can tell me more about Saskia and what you learned during Succubus 101."

The End


End file.
